Profile For TreeTheTrucker

Happy anniversary!!!! I appreciate this site for everything it has given me, taught me, and showed me. Proud to be here. I wish you many decades to come.

As a new solo driver I find myself always getting to the truck stops at the wrong time and when I do make it(surprisingly)at a decent time I find myself caught between parking beside two drivers who can't keep it between their lines.(super tight parking spots)What seems to be a good time to park up for the night? I usually run until my 14hr clock is about to run out. Anyone have any tips for me? I'm adamant about parking at a truck stop because I'm not too keen on the idea of parking for ten hours on the side of the road....

Finally done my training and had a horrific time yesterday(ask me and I'll tell) after I finally got my truck. The truck in question is a 2015 Freightliner Cascadia I aptly named "Free"... I want to know if anyone knows how to get this truck into auxiliary mode so that the outlets in the sleeper work?(I miss that good old international I trained in, one button press and all outlets were working)(the heat works tho!!! Thankfully!!!)I see the knob on the floorboard to the left of the driver seat and it's on auxiliary but is there something else I need to do cause none of my outlets work. I even have the drivers/maintenance manual and still can't figure this one out. I'm currently stuck in Maryland until they dispatch me a load heading toward my house in Georgia for my few days of home time, so it's pretty slow without plugs for my Tv and PS4. And solutions??

Well I'm 6'7 and drive an International...I wish it was a bigger truck. Hard to work the clutch(I don't like to float) without hitting the steering wheel with my knees. And wearing a size 18 shoes doesn't help either. So I can dig what your saying. The sleeper tho....lol lets just say it's alway a curl up into a ball situation(the fetal position)as my legs are to long.

When all else fails, YouTube it....and using the cruise control is fine or just ask whoever is giving the test can you assist with building the pressure back up.(worked for me when the cruise control didn't) but when in doubt, break YouTube out...I'm no pro but it worked for me. Just my opinion.

I'm still with my trainer and I use a Rand McNally TND 80 tablet gps. My trainer likes mine so much he stopped using his own rand mcnally(older one) and just uses mine. He's gonna be mad when I'm done cause that tablet gps is coming with me when I'm done!lol

@michael I understand and I didn't take it the wrong way. My trainer said the mountains were named "black mountain".(I think it was in Asheville,NC) Probably nothing like the mountains you guys who've done it before for so long have come across in the Midwest and all, but it was pretty hairy for me!lol but I didn't panic. And I've thought about what you said all day. I've advised my advocate to put me with a otr trainer because of the very things you mentioned. I'm not trying to rush it at all, I want to be safe and efficient. I do want my own truck but I'm not in a rush to get there.

Thanks for the replies guys I appreciate them a lot. I've told my advocate to try to get me an OTR trainer when I eclipse 5k miles(I have about 2500 as of now). And I have experienced traffic and the mountains(had my first experience with overheating brakes, and engine braking this week!). But I pick up what you guys are putting down, and I greatly appreciate your input.

I've been doing local runs with a trainer because my company(Celadon) doesn't have any OTR trainers available at the moment. In order to get in my own truck I have to complete 10k miles with a trainer. Here's my issue, I feel as though I'm good with the local trainer because I drive everyday and we deliver loads for Lowes(various locations). So Im backing every day at least 5 times a day to a dock somewhere(averaging about 300-350 miles per day). I spoke to an OTR trainer and he said he might bump a dock once a day if he's lucky. Should I stay with my local trainer where I can polish my skills, or is it something I'm missing not training with an OTR trainer?

You can try TDI in Forsyth Georgia, they're not company sponsored but there's a few in georgia, mostly near or outside of Atlanta